Travels in Eire #66

Cailin rushed into the house to see he father and Darren sitting in the living room enjoying a cold Guinness.

“What's going on?” she shouted looking at both of them. “Dad what were you doing playing snooker. You know how mom feels about that.” Cailin was visibly shaken about this. She worried around money being lost foolishly.

Darren started first, “Cailin, you should have seen your dad. He was as good as any pro I've ever seen.”

“And.....” Cailin wanted answers.

“Sweetie,” her father always called her that, “I did fine. No losses this time.”

“Sean, what do you mean, you did fine? You blew the opposition away! You were the big winner for the day!” Darren couldn't contain his excitement.

“So dad, big day, you won a hundred bucks?” Cailin was now curious since Darren was making such a fuss. She new the guys at the pub didn't bet much as a rule.

“Cailin, let's put it this way. I have now taken care of 2 round trip flights to Ireland for your wedding for you mom and I.” Sean answered smiling at his daughter.

“ARRGH.... you two drive me nuts. Did you actually do any sightseeing?” Cailin asked.

“We took a quick trip to Times Square and the Empire State building. I'm hoping we can take a quick trip to the Statue of Liberty tomorrow since we leave on Monday,” and there was that smile from Darren.

Cailin smiled back and nodded. They only had limited time on this trip and Monday she needed to get into work for a couple of hours before their evening flight back to Ireland.

The evening was a quiet one spent with family. After dinner Darren and Cailin took a walk around the neighborhood. They spent a lot of time talking about wedding plans and plans for both their futures. This was actually the first serious talking they had done in a long time.

“Cailin, aren't you going to miss being here in New York?” Darren asked. “I would hate for you to make the decision to permanently move to Ireland and regret it later. You know I won't leave there except for vacations.”

“Darren, I'm an Irish citizen now, or almost as soon as the paperwork comes through. The one thing is that I have always felt so at home in Ireland. For me New York is the place to visit now. I will miss my parents, but they are only a flight away.” Cailin tightened her hold on Darren's waist as they walked to reassure him.

“Cailn, we have never talked about children. You do want children, don't you?” Darren almost seemed hesitant in asking.

“Darren, I hope you are not planning on children immediately after the wedding. Yes, I want children, but I do hope we have some time to just be together before we start our family.” Cailin was hoping that Darren would agree with her.

“Of course, I don't want to rush. Just checking here,” and Darren smiled back. “You know we are going to have to find a new place to live, right?”

“I think my place is just fine. You should permanently move in with me – after the wedding though!” Cailin teased back since Darren was almost already moved in to her place. “At least we can live there for a while.”

“I hope you don't mind that you will probably be earning more than I do.” Darren seemed a little embarrassed at this statement.

“Darren, it will be both our money. I was never concerned about how much you earn. Your work is so important. It's getting late. Let's head back to the house.”

The two of them were almost back to the stoop of the house when they saw a figure sitting on the steps. Cailin immediately tensed. It was Nick. Darren saw that it was Nick at the same time, and held Cailin a little tighter to make her feel secure.

“Hey there Nick, buddy!” Darren shouted as they neared the stoop.

Nick stood with a big smile on his face. “I'm so glad I caught up with you guys before you went back to Ireland.”

Cailin was not happy to be seeing Nick, but didn't want to cause a scene outside of her parents. “What can we do for you Nick?” she asked curtly.

“Cailin, baby, I know you were hurt when I dumped you, but I think it was the right thing for both of us.” Nick started his speech. “I can see you found the guy who is just right for your temperament.”

Once again Nick was trying to cover, but before Cailin could comment back to Nick, Darren stopped her.

“Nick, my man, you have no idea. She's a handful, but I'm more than up to the challenge. And she's good enough to put up with me too! I can't imagine being with anyone else.” and he turned and smiled at Cailin.

“I just wanted to stop by and apologize for passing out at your party. Guess Darren here is used to pounding them down more than me.” It was difficult for Nick to admit defeat, but he did.

“No problem Nick. It was great craic. Now we've got to get going. Time's running short,” Darren whisked Cailin up the stairs to the front door, and left Nick staring into blank space wondering what just had happened.

Cailin and Darren held their laughter until they were inside the door and out of earshot of Nick. He had been had once again.

Travels in Eire #65

Ruth and Cailin had been texting back and forth since Cailin arrived from Ireland. Cailin didn't want to spend an exorbitant amount for her wedding dress and Ruth found the perfect place for them to shop. It was called The Bridal Garden. They gowns were donated from famous designers, all one of a kind and heavily discounted. All proceeds from the sales went to benefit charities supporting children in New York City. This was exactly the kind of thing that appealed to Cailin.

After a quick breakfast with Darren, Cailin headed out. Sean, Cailin's dad, had taken such a liking to Darren that he decided to venture out and take Darren sightseeing. This was a rarity for Sean as he hated to be the tour guide. Who knew where the two of them would end up. But Cailin was happy for this time they had to get to know each other.

Cailin hopped the subway to 23rd Street and walked the couple of blocks to 21st Street to find the shop. She found Ruth out front peering into the window.

“Can't wait till it's my turn to do this,” Ruth commented as Cailin came up beside her.

The two girls walked into the shop and it was only a moment till they were searching through designer gowns and “oohing” and “awwing” as they giggled and laughed. Ruth and Cailin agreed on two very different gowns for Cailin to try on. One was very simply stated, but elegant, the other more romantic. The simple one was a beautiful white satin that draped softly over Cailin's body. It was not fitted, and puddled at the floor. Caiin had pulled her long black curly hair up for today. This way the dress looked very sophisticated. Ruth snapped a quick photo with her phone, so Cailin would have a reference later. Then Cailin put the second dress on. When she came out of the dressing room Ruth's mouth dropped open.

“Cailin, put your hair down,” she commanded. Ruth stood up and walked around the pedestal that Caiin was perched on. “Oh, my bejeezus!” she squealed, “I'm without words. You look like you just walked out of a romantic fairy tale. Cailin, this is the most beautiful gown I've ever seen on anyone. And with your hair down it's just so darn amazing. ”

The gown was not pure white but just off white making it look slightly aged. It was a combination of lace and satin with a five foot train. The bodice was cinched in to show Cailin's small midriff. It just flared out enough to flow as she walked. The neckline was an open sweetheart design so Cailin could wear her Connemara heart and it would be seen.

While they had been chatting the sales lady came by and placed a veil on Cailin's head. With her hair down she could not wear something that poofed at the back of her head. This was a small tiara type headband with a long lace-edged veil that met the hem of the dress. When Cailin took a look in the mirror she couldn't believe what she saw. Tears started to flow down her cheeks. Happy tears, but tears, nonetheless. Ruth noticed and was immediately at her side blotting the tears.

“Can't soil this dress before the wedding now, can we?” as she stepped back and nodded. “So have we found the perfect dress?”

Cailin could barely speak so she nodded and smiled.

“Then it's time to tea for us girls. Get this paid for and let's go find a nice cuppa.” Ruth was always ready for a good cup of tea.

Cailin took care of purchasing the dress and veil. She'd have it sent to her parents and they would bring it back to Ireland for the wedding, and the two girls headed off to a small cafe a few blocks away. On the way Cailin called Darren to see how things were going between Darren and her dad. When he answered she could barely hear him because of all the background noise.

“Darren, where are you and dad?” Cailn asked.
“Cailin, amazing thing. I didn't know your dad played snooker!” Darren was shouting into his phone.

“Oh no! He didn't!” Cailin shouted back. “Put my dad on the phone,” Cailin yelled.

“Can't honey, he's in the middle of a heated game. Gotta go, talk to you later,” and then the phone clicked off.

Cailin knew how much her dad loved snooker and would consider a stop at a pub for a “quick” game if he had the chance. There was also a lot of betting that went on during these games, and Cailin had known her dad to lose quite a few dollars in a night. And now Darren was there with him. She could smell trouble brewing just as she and Ruth ordered their brewed tea. But there was nothing she could do.

Ruth was full of news about her move with her sister Joyce to New York City. They had played a few gigs, and were getting ready to perform as a first act to a larger touring group. Cailin was hoping that their schedule would allow Ruth to return to Ireland for the wedding, but with the tour, it looked like it was not going to be possible. After a chat, some tea and sandwiches, they parted and Cailin headed back home, never knowing what to expect.